The Laws of Death
by Panda-Angel-Wings
Summary: Recently, Rukia's been acting strangely. She wakes with strange memories each day. Even Byakuyas speechless some days too. Ichigo too, is tormented by his past. 'Course, the duo must now embark in ANOTHER crazy quest, this one to save themselves, and from Byakuya who gets on the verge of insanity.
1. Nightmare

**Moshi-moshi, everyone! I'm Sabrina, one of the co-owners of Panda-Angel-Wings. **

**Kyaaa~ I've been wanting to upload this story for some time. *-*-*-*-*-***

**Basically, this takes place Post Soul-Society, and no Bounts, Arrancar, or Visored show up yet. I think they will, but on their own pace. Also, know that it takes a while for me to update...**

**But who cares? Enjoy!**

**Song of the day: Hollow by Submersed (its epic *-*)**

* * *

Ichigo wanted it to end.

He would tell them that all he remembered was the rain pounding hard onto the umbrellas. He'd be able to describe her smile—how bright and carefree it was. He would recall how she fell, seeming as if she had just slipped with water splashing everywhere around the river bank. At first he would think she was had just slipped and fell in the slippery mud. But soon, Ichigo knew better. Why wouldn't she get up and embrace him again? Why wasn't she laughing and telling him everything was alright? Why wasn't she answering back to his furious calls, or comforted him when tears began to roll down his face?

No, Ichigo remembered more than just what he told the authorities. Her shout of agony which made him shiver to the bone. The way the figure which she tried to reach disappeared, with the echo of an empty laugh filling his ears. How the world seemed to become soundless, as if only he and his loved one were the only ones left. Obviously, there was much, much more to what had happened. So much that if he had held onto them any longer, the little boy who loved his mother with all his heart would become twisted and mortifying. Which is why he had to block out these memories and resume his life as if this did not happen.

Until now.

On the same riverbank which she had died, Ichigo stood. About 20 feet away from him was the very woman who had caused all this pain on him. The city had changed after her passing. New skyscrapers had sprang up from the former construction sites and empty lots. A new bridge was built over looking the river. Yet the riverbank they stood in was the same as it was in the past.

There she stood, smiling a bright smile that always filled him with happiness. Her light brown hair shimmered in the ghostly light. She was glowing in the darkness. The eyes which always looked at Ichigo with love now looked at him with the same emotion once more. In her hands was the same umbrella which she had thrown that night when it happened.

"I…chigo," she said in a ghostly whisper, reaching an arm out to him. "My little baby Ichigo…"

The orange haired teenage male started towards her, reaching out his own arm to clasp her hand in his. Tears sprang forth from his brown eyes, which, although they mirrored hers, were full of endless hope. Could this really be happening? Was this real? In the moonlight this seemed real. There was the possibility that she was a ghost, but a ghost is better than being gone…gone forever….

"Mama…" he answered with as much fevor, his tongue turning over the word he hadn't said in ten years. "_Mama." _Within 5 feet to him, she opened her arms welcoming Ichigo forward.

It all happened so fast. The snap of the twig behind him seemed to make the former quiet world erupt with noise. His line of sight became clearer—he was now able to distinguish the murkiness of the filthy water which had seemed to inviting just a minute before. The trees which seemed to have no movement before swayed to an invisible breeze. Looking ahead, Ichigo paled at the sight before him

There was something wrong with her.

The luscious waist length brown hair now seemed discolored; it was full of greys and were frayed at the ends. The long pink dress she wore was now torn at the ends with patches covering age old holes. Her eyes which before shone with happiness now showed distress and pain.

"Ichigo," she moaned. "Why did you leave me? Why did you do this to me?" Slowly, she seemed to fade. Ichigo watched the woman crumble into dust in bewilderment, his mouth gaping in horror. What was this? Did he cause this? Trembling, he attempted to take a step back. Just this single action seemed to take a toll on him—a sharp sting of pain raced up his entire body, as if he was actually cut with Byakuya's _senbonzakura._ The delicate face of his mother started to yellow. The left eye went limp and slowly emptied itself out of her eye socket. All that remained was a pool of blood pouring out.

"Ichigo… _Ichigo_, you monster. You created this. You are the cause for everyone's pain," the woman-like monster smiled. She revealed rows and rows of shark-like teeth in her frothing mouth. Now all that was left of the figure were its shoulders and head which had started to melt away. "In order to restore the balance between the dead and the living you must…" Shuddering the monster opened its horrific mouth and bellowed.

Crotching, Ichigo covered his bleeding ears with his hands trying to keep out the sound. The shrill of the monster rivaled that of the scream of a Hollow. Tears kept streaming down Ichigo's face, but these were not of happiness. He felt something he had only felt when her mother did die. The cold, empty feeling that hope was lost. The emotion which was known to make people be taken advantage of. No matter how much he tried, he felt himself submit to this emotion, as if a cold bony hand had grabbed his heart and was attempting to rip it out.

The world was set on fire from the howl of the monster. Everything before his eyes perished. Screaming, Ichigo dropped all his defenses and let the eternal darkness envelop him.

* * *

It was the sound of a siren that awakened him.

The blare of the screaming shrill echoed all around the river. Normally, as a deep sleeper, Ichigo would not realize the sound at all. Perhaps the combination with the chill of the morning air and the unnatural sound of the water awoke him from his deep slumber.

Water? Where was that coming from? The only time Ichigo had ever heard water this close upon waking was the day his father forced him and his sisters to go on that annoying camping trip outside the outskirts of Tokyo. Their tent had become soiled and smelling from the nearby swamp which destroyed most of their clothes. Wrinkling his nose with disgust at the thought, he finally opened his eyes.

He immediately wished he didn't.

Squinting in the blaring sun, the orange haired teenager groaned in agony. First, his facial muscles were extremely strained. Then again, he knew something was obviously wrong if he woke up outdoors with the evil central star known as the star.

Immediately, his instinct took over. Not even registering what he was doing, Ichigo leaped back several feet from where he was originally standing, pulling his Zanpakuto from its strap on the back and held it ready to fire Getsuga Tensho. Turning around, he expected to see the entire house and clinic blown apart with a disheveled Isshin trying to interpret the situation, a crying Yuzu, and an extremely annoyed Karin.

"N-nande?" he whispered in shock.

There was no destroyed house. Nor were there any of Ichigo's supposedly confused family members. Instead of the big sign displaying the Kurosaki Clinic, there were just….trees. Stones littered the soggy ground here and there. Mud splattered everywhere. 10 feet beyond that were rows of department stores, grocery shops and…was that the main road in Karakura Town?

There was no need for him to turn around. Based on his assumptions and dream, he knew what was running behind him. Nevertheless, Ichigo turned in a 180 degree angle and faced the cursed river flowing eastward through the bridge.

Why was he even here? Did he come to fight a Hollow? Did someone knock him out and tamper with his memories? Scratching his head in frustration, he sighed into the quiet area. To the normal human, this riverbank would have been something of great beauty. The ideal place to stop by at any time of the day to any mortal, only Ichigo and a select few knew it was dangerous.

"Chikusho." Kicking the ground for emphasis, he finally noticed the bigger issue.

A black katana like sword was gripped in his right hand. He donned long overcoat with a red underside. Power welled up in him, something that usually takes a while to control so early in the morning.

It took a while to register what was going on in his obscenely oblivious head. Black thin Zangetsu….overcoat….power….

Why the _hell_ was he in Bankai form? Who did he fight?

_Your mother._

_Urusai,_ he answered back to that annoying little negative voice in his mind. This problematic voice always seemed to enjoy making Ichigo suffer. He;d heard it a few times in Soul Society, but now it's more prominent than ever.

_Don't deny it. You dreamt about it, not me,_ it answered, taunting. It obviously had his voice—but it twisted the words into an inhuman like way. It was clearly sadistic; but it still relied on him too. Anyhow, it was just annoying. Gritting his teeth, Ichigo closed his eyes thinking up a retort, when he was interrupted.

"Why, if it isn't Kurosaki-san."

A tall man with pale blond hair with forest toned brown coat, and green shirt and pants stood about 7 feet away. The wind blew his hair and coat, making him seem like some holy being, but Ichigo knew better. Smirking, he sized up Ichigo, the green and white striped hat making his eyes nothing but a shadow.

"Urahara-san," Ichigo nodded. He had never hated the mysterious man, especially since he usually acted on the well being of others (even though he had his own intentions). Other than that, he seemed to have all the answers to every problem he'd encountered.

Almost as if reading his mind, Urahara smiled. Opening his fan with the flick of his hand, he waved it in front of his face while saying, "Why not come by my place for breakfast? Free of no charge. Don't worry your family won't know."

Narrowing his eyes, Ichigo tried to think of the man's intentions. First of all, the word 'free' was not uttered by the head of Urahara Shop. He'd made him go though harsh punishments and ways to repay for his services. Second, what was he going to do to him this time? Hadn't he tried to kill Ichigo when training him to become a top-notch Shinigami?

_He knows what happened, fool! _The voice nagged. _If you want to know what happened, get your baka arse to his place! _Unfortunately, he knew it was right.

"Sure." Cocking a head he added, "Whats the worst that could happen?" Smiling, Urahara beckoned Ichigo to follow him as he started up the trail to his mysterious store.

Ichigo had been taught not to take up offers from strange, young looking old men. But then again, Kisuke Urahara wasn't just any man, was he?

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**Like? Hate? Please review *-* Reviews make me happy!**

**~Sabby**


	2. Black Blossoms

**My computer's being crappy and glitchy, so I didn't get many reviews. Laiba says that we did get them, so I don't know...****but who cares? Enjoy!**

**Song of the day: Love is War by Hatsune Miku**

* * *

Kuchiki Manor is said to be one of the finest estates in Shingami History. With its famed forever flowing river, miles upon miles of sakura trees, and it's large and luxurious mansion, most souls would be overjoyed just to get a glimpse of this refined place. The koi is said to rival that of the most precious koi from the cleanest lake which run through Seireitei—yet others have said that the garden is better than the Royal Palace.

Indeed, Kuchiki Manor was the idle place for the Shinigami elite to live in. A place where no one worries—they say.

But Kuchiki Byakuya knew that it was a place to worry about. The clan leader was a polished handsome man who was immaculate when it came to public affairs, personal affairs, and even affairs which regarded all of Seireitei. Yet he knew that often times the worst possible place to be was his mansion.

In the same room where the shrine to the late Hisana is, was the same room she died in. The same room that he had sworn to find Hisana's younger sister and to protect her with his status and name. It was that same room where Hisana had asked to be sented to in her final moments.

Gently walking across the Kuchiki Estate, Byakuya's steps echoed through the now dark and lonely halls, Only the sound of the rain hitting against the windows hard were able to be heard, other than his footfalls.

Walking after the hours was a common thing for the clan leader. This roku bantai taichou had already sent the servants to their own homes for the Hanami celebrations the following week. Without the nervous rushing of the servants running back and forth for the new day, he enjoyed the silence with only him and his adopted sister in the room just 5 doors down from where he currently was.

His sister. Rukia. The pride of his existence. Just when he had thought Hisana's passings would have made him into an empty shell, this girl appeared out of the mist. At first, Byakuya had thought she was the recreation of his late wife. But then he heard her name.

_Rukia._

The name his wife had uttered with tears for many nights. The name she bellowed out in the dirty streets of Rukongai, searching for her the baby she once abandoned. When he first saw her, in the halls of Shinoreijutsuin he was bewildered. What kind of joke was this? Who was daring enough to make the ghost of his dead wife appear?

"Hisana!" he had whispered, reaching out to her. The Shingami officials accompanying him were surprised at the usually cold Kuchiki Byakuya with such a helpless expression.

The normal soul would not have heard his quiet voice, but the raven haired girl's ears perked up as she faced the Taichou. "Excuse me?" she answered with a confused expression marring her features.

It took a while for Kuchiki Byakuya to regain his poise. When he did, he apologized to the petite girl and turned away as fast but politely as he could to find the headmaster of the school.

When he brought her to Kuchiki Manor, he knew she hated him. It had taken him 8 months until she could smile, and that was only when cherry blossom season had started. Until then, she would only address him in a cold formal manner and keep to herself.

Sighing, Byakuya leaned against a wall and ran his hands through his black locks which weren't held by kensaikan. So much had changed since then. In order to not get pulled to the past again he had to maintain a cold and emotionless demeanor.

Deciding to retire for the day—it was extremely late—he walked towards his chambers.

"STOP IT YOROUICHI-SAN!"

He blinked. His eyes growing wide, he turned to see where it came from. With his hand on his Zanpakuto, Byakuya kicked open the door which the sound came from.

"Yorouichi, how many times must I tell you—" he said in his most threatening voice. What he saw made him stop in horror.

His sister was waving at something. She seemed to be pulling at something invisible. She swore under her breath as the invisible being did an unseenable thing to her. Although she was on her pallet, she seemed to be wrestling with something.

Byakuya stood frozen watching in horror at his suffering sister. Instantly, he vowed revenge on the damned cat-woman and strode forward to save his sister. "Rukia! I'm—"

When she turned to face him, she gritted her teeth. Frustration was shown on all over her face. The most surprising part was her eyes were closed. No matter what expression she showed, her large eyes were closed forming a crescent with her eyelashes on her face which was pale from the moonlight from the open door.

Sighing in relief, Byakuya silently walked out of the room backwards. Rukia was fine. It was only a dream wasn't it?

That girl always caused trouble to his seemingly perfect life. No not perfect. It would never be perfect without that certain someone. Yet at the same time she shed light to his constant darkness. Although he'd never say it, that girl was probably why he hadn't gone "emo," as Renji would say.

Face-palming in frustration, he decided to retire. He turned to the river once more to make sure security was as uptight as always.

And then he paused.

Beyond the river, there was only one small hill which had no orchards of sakuras. Instead, there was only one tree. Under the moonlight, the large tree swept shadows on the entire hill. A gentle breeze blew, but that was enough to rile up the fallen blooms, creating a pink storm of fushia flowers. The petals blew all of the area, falling into the water, on the lawns, the bridge.

With a shaking hand, Byakuya raised a pale hand and reached out to the moonlight. He and his beloved had planted this tree together in one of their last days together.

"_Byakuya-sama," _she had said with that smile that always made him weak. _"Let's plant a tree above all the rest. That way, the tree with grow bigger than the others no matter how small it is."_

"Hisana…" he whimpered, unfurling his fingers into the midnight air. Even from a great distance, a cloud of pink was able to reach him. "_Hisana…"_

And just as if it were Hisana reaching out, the last petals stopped in his palm. They were soft and delicate petals, so much unlike his Senbonzakura which was harsh and was always followed by blood.

He shook his head vigouously. Why was this making him so vulnerable? Turning around with another glance, Byakuya regained his composure. What was he thinking? Hisana was gone. And all he had left was…

…her sister. He stole a glance at the door to Rukia's room, praying she won't have another attack again. To make sure Yorouichi wouldn't attack by chance, he made a note to double security.

Of-course, Byakuya would never admit that he had a handful of petals in his right hand as he strode to this quarters.

* * *

**Sorry for not having much action! I promise the next chapter's going to have some stuff going on! **

**Can you PRETTY PRETTY PRETTY please review? I'll post the next chapter AFTER I get AT LEAST 4 reviews! **

**But still, I'm thankful for getting no flames from you...yet they are appreciated...**

**~Sabby *-***


	3. Knowing it and Work

**Sorry for the no update! Laiba and I have been quite busy with our other fanfics. Also, we have this new story idea which we'll debut on New Year's Eve. As in when it strike 12 on New Years one of us'll update the 1st chapter. Why? Because its a really long time away ;D**

** Because of the big gap between updates, we-well, _I _did- decided to make a drabble series with a bunch of random ideas put together. They aren't going to be amazing, but if you haven't then I suggest you look at it. It's called SoulShots_ and _if you want to request anything, we take requests too! Since I don't make good romance stories, the more romantic ones may be more serious than the others. **

**I apologize for the long authors note. If you have any other concerns, just review it out or PM me and I;ll attempt to answer them happily. **

**Song of the Day: Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson **

* * *

"Tencho, why did the carrot head have to come here?"

Urahara folded his fan and put it on a neighboring table while he ruffled the red haired boy's hair. "Now, now, Jinta, be polite to Kurosaki-kun." Jinta just huffed and rolled his eyes at the Shinigami in question.

"C'mon, Ururu," he sneered, pulling her bangs. "Let's go clean the storage room."

"Jinta!" the little girl screamed. "Stop it! It hurts!" Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, but she reluctantly got up from her seat and picked up the broom. Ichigo watched in disgust as the sadistic child pulled the other away from them.

"Don't ask Kurosaki-kun," Urahara sighed. He sat on one of the floor mats and beckoned Ichigo to follow him. "I'm not a babysitter, but no matter how much I tell him to Jinta won't stop harassing Ururu. Tea?"

Ichigo sat on the mat opposite the store owner saying, "Please."

"I will be bringing it, Tencho," the dread-locked nakama of the boss huffed, while getting up and running out of the room. Urahara calmly pulled up his green and white hat and smiled that pedophilic smile he seemed to give everyone.

No wonder no one came to the store often. He probably scared everyone away, even though he doesn't have a white van or give out free candy.

_Stop thinking of pointless things!_ The small haughty voice in his mind scoffed. _Why are you here? Did you forget? _

Ichigo gritted his teeth with frustration. Ever since Urahara came to pick him up from the river, the voice had been sneering the entire way to the store. At first, Ichigo tried to ignore it, but now it's voice was ringing in his ears causing a great pain on his head.

"SHUT UP!" He yelled in English.

"Kurosaki-san? Are you okay?" Urahara asked tilting his head. A look of concern was on his face, which Ichigo had always thought was incapable of human emotions.

Ichigo sighed and scratched his head. How should he answer?

_Lie._

This time, he decided to take its advice. Smiling broadly, he said, "I'm fine Urahara-san."

Urahara chuckled. He shifted his feet and started at the orange haired Shinigami before answering rather calmly,

"I doubt so, Kurosaki-san." Instantly, Ichigo's smile disappeared. He cursed under his breath.

_Baka! You're faker than the Shinigami! In fact, with that attitude, I'd have thought you were one of them not a substitute!_

Ichigo wanted to punch himself. He would have done so, if Urahara hadn't said, "Isn't that voice _annoying?" _

Ichigo looked up at alarm. Urahara smirked at him, just when Tessai arrived back.

"I have brought green tea, orange juice and a Western breakfast which include toast, eggs, and butter," the large man announced. He set down the tray and distributed the food out.

Tessai knew that something was wrong between the two. Urahara was smiling eerily at the young man across from him, who, although he glared back, seemed to be restraining himself from something. Not to mention the powerful reiatsu which surrounded the two of them.

But he knew that this was fine. Kisuke was a dear friend of his anyway. And he would have always consulted him with there were any problems.

As he turned to leave, Urahara called out. "Tessai."

"Yes, Tencho," he turned back to face him. Although Urahara looked calm and amused, something else played on his face. He couldn't put his finger on it then, but he knew that something was wrong.

"Please call…_her._" His voice lowered and his eyes darkened. Tessai nodded, knowing that things were serious if _she _was needed to be consulted.

Urahara turned back to a confused yet irritated Ichigo who scratched the inside of his ear. "Well, old man? Why bring me here if you won't talk?"

Urahara smiled. "What am I if I don't serve my guests? Don't worry, it's free." Ichigo scoffed. As if anything this man offered was free. Why was he even here in the first place?

"Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm not hun—" his stomach growled. His voice faltering, Ichigo sad in defeat, "—gry right now." He glanced up at Urahara who offered him one of the plates with food. Reluctantly, he picked up the toast and bit into it.

"Well, old-man? What do you want me to do?" Ichigo growled. The voice snickered at his awkward position, and proceeded to taunt him effortlessly, so much Ichigo suddenly had a han on his Zanpakuto and was attempting to behead himself.

"Kurosaki-kun," Urahara said, watching the conflicted teenager with hooded eyes. "I was wondering if you would assist me with something I am working on."

Ichigo paused, ignoring the remarks echoing his mind. "Something you're working on?" What on earth was this baka man thinking of now? "An experiment? Why me? Why not ask that psycho Mayuri to help you—"

"Kurosaki-kun," Urahara repeated with much more fevor in his voice, while setting down his tea. "Kurostuchi-taichou is a_ valued _taichou of the gotei 13. Being the_ important _man he is, I'm sure he'll _never_ help a _lowly exile_ like me."

Well, he was right wasn't he? The mad scientist was obviously too busy to do anything else. "You're right," Ichigo nodded along, biting into a scrambled egg. "He's probably still obsessing over Ishida."

_Baka!_ The voice echoed again. _Are you so dense you don't know what sarcasm is?_ Ichigo frowned. Although he was evil, Urahara never seemed to be sarcastic towards anyone…except for himself of course.

"Well?" Urahara asked again, waiting for the ranga's answer.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "Tell me what its about. Depends on what the job is. If's some crap like—"

"I'll help you get _her_ back."Urahara stated without emotion.

Ichigo choked. _Her?_ He looked at Urahara wanting to say he didn't know who he was talking about, but they both knew it was lie—there was only one person Ichigo wanted back. Urahara smiled again, his eyes giving him the answer. He knew.

For once, the hell-like-voice had shut up. No retorts, no teasing, no smart-ass comments.

And for once Ichigo knew what to say without having the voice bug him, as well as his confusion getting in the way.

"Why not, old man?" Ichigo sighed. He glanced down at his half empty plate. God damn him for wanting her back in his life again, and god damn Urahara for getting to him with that.

* * *

**Again, I'm sorry, this time for the crappy chapter. The new story we're working on is taking up most of my time, as well as Laiba, and school isn't easy. If you read the parody, "Byakushie's Wrath_"_then you know I haven't updated in too long of a time. I promise I'll get the last chapter up tomorrow or today if I have time. "SoulShots" will be updated 4 or 5 times a week, sometimes multiple times a day. **

**I'll shut up now and let you look at the better stories by the much better authors :) **

**Love and Panda Hershey's**

**Sabby-sama the Panda Warrior**


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